Team building is like a never-ending adventure that helps a group of people become an effective and unstoppable team, especially when the focus is on charity events and corporate social responsibility.
In addition to having shared goals and objectives for work, team members must establish trust, offer support, and value each other’s unique qualities and characteristics. All the while, they’ll know they’re collaborating to give back to others.
To commit to this growth, teams must adopt effective team building methods. While there are many traditional team building activities, leveraging charitable events can provide a unique and powerful way to achieve these goals.
In this article, we’ll explore the benefits that these meaningful team building activities offer, from improved company culture to happier teams and beyond. We’ll also explore some company charity ideas to get you started.
5 Ways Charitable Events Help Build Effective Teams
A staggering 69% of working Americans say that they’re not volunteering as much as they’d like. Likewise, 62% say that they don’t have time during their days to dedicate to volunteering.
This presents a fantastic opportunity for employers—you can tap into the numerous benefits of CSR programs while providing your employees with the fulfilling experiences they seek.
Here are five powerful ways that charitable and philanthropic team building events help build effective teams and provide benefits for companies everywhere.
1. Improve Company Culture
Approximately 61% of working millennials say that they’d prefer to work with businesses whose company cultures focus on serving the community if choosing between possible jobs. Likewise, 70% favor companies that show a commitment to their community.
Company culture is a crucial aspect that any successful organization must focus on. It encompasses the following six components:
- Vision
- Values
- Practices
- People
- Narratives
- Places
When planning a charitable event to enhance your company culture, it’s essential to choose an activity that is enjoyable for all team members and supports effective team building. It should also align with the six components of your company culture above.
Selecting a cause that aligns with your organization’s values or is relevant to your industry can increase your team’s engagement and motivation toward a shared goal.
For example, a healthcare company could organize an Operation Cancer Care event that will donate care packages to patients undergoing treatment. Likewise, a technology firm could host a Mr. Roboto charity event to support STEM education in local schools.
After choosing a cause, researching available events and picking the best one based on your team’s interests and abilities can create a meaningful and lasting impact.
2. Foster a Sense of Purpose
Charitable events offer a fantastic opportunity for businesses to create a sense of shared purpose among their team members. As teams work towards a common social purpose, they begin to feel a sense of unity.
In addition to specific professional goals—like improving productivity—this can help foster connection, boost morale, encourage teamwork, and strengthen relationships among colleagues.
A commitment to CSR also reinforces the company’s values and empowers teams to make a positive impact on society. This can strengthen their trust in and dedication to your business.
3. Encourage Collaboration
Team building activities encourage collaboration and team participation, especially when you include an element of charity or philanthropy. The numbers back this up, too—64% of employees say volunteering improves camaraderie and collaboration with colleagues.
At TeamBonding, we often include an aspect of friendly competition in our philanthropic team building activities to really get your team in the spirit of things. You can also offer incentives such as prizes or recognition to motivate your team members.
Leveraging effective team building through the power of charitable events provides an opportunity for employees from multiple departments or locations to come together under one purpose. In the process, they’ll make new connections and lasting memories.
4. Boost Morale
Approximately 70% of employees say that volunteering together boosts morale in the workplace. When a group of individuals is united towards a common goal, there’s a strong sense of accomplishment and teamwork.
This positive energy can carry over into the workplace, leading to an increase in productivity and job satisfaction. In fact, 93% of employees who volunteer express happiness with their employer.
Participation in activities that benefit the community also cultivates a sense of pride among team members. Knowing you’re part of an organization that’s making a positive impact in society is a great source of motivation among employees.
5. Demonstrate Social Responsibility
Charitable events offer a great opportunity to build a successful, productive team while also incorporating corporate social responsibility (CSR)
CSR is all about a company taking responsibility for its impact on society and the environment. By participating in these events, your team can make a difference in the community, cultivate deep trust, and enjoy meaningful engagement in the process.
It’s also a great way to build effective teams—you can set goals and measure the impact of your CSR programs so it’s easy for everyone to see the good they’re doing and the progress they’re making together. For example:
- Fundraising goals for a community cause
- Goals to volunteer a certain number of hours or with a certain number of organizations on the Do Good Bus
- A goal to help a specific number of people with the Prosthetic Hand Project (more on this later)
Whatever your goals, they’ll provide a clear objective for your team to work towards. Measuring this progress and impact allows you to see the positive difference your team has made in the community, which can boost morale, job satisfaction, and more.
Our Favorite Company Charity Ideas
Ready to start leveraging charitable events to encourage your team members to connect, bond, and collaborate? Here are some of our favorite charity events:
Ready to start leveraging charitable events to encourage your team members to connect, bond, and collaborate? Here are some of our favorite charity events:
- The Prosthetic Hand Project: This program engages your team in assembling cosmetic hands and decorating hand-storage bags. Then, they’ll give these items to empower the lives of amputees in developing countries.
- Operation Military Care: This CSR program has your team assemble care packages for donation to U.S. military personnel overseas or at stateside hospitals.
- Toys for Tykes: This is a heartwarming activity where your team will work together to assemble and decorate high-quality toys to be donated to children in need for the holidays.
- Paws for a Cause: In this CSR workshop, your team will create dog beds, pull toys, and cat scratch pads to donate to local animal shelters, all while working together and having fun.
- Paint Soles for Souls: This program is all about decorating new shoes to be donated to South American children in need.
If you don’t see anything you love here, you’ll find dozens of additional philanthropic team building ideas in our catalog of CSR events. We’re also happy to bring your personal team building charity ideas to life with custom-built programs—just let us know!
From the Heart: How Charitable Events Change Lives
We had a chat with Chris Gulley, founder of The Hand Project and long-time TeamBonding partner through our program, The Prosthetic Hand Project.
“People would cry. And the whole mood would change when they realized, wow, this is real,” shares Gulley, describing the powerful moment when team members witness the direct impact of their work.
This emotional connection is at the core of what makes philanthropic team building activities so special, and Gulley has witnessed this impact time and time again.
As Gulley explains, “When you’ve worked with a couple of other people, and you’ve assembled this hand, and you’ve designed this bag, you know you’ve put some of your heart into it. Then, in a few months, you get to see a photo of your bag with the person who’s got your hand. It’s such a powerful moment.”
Some organizations hesitate to incorporate charitable events into their team building efforts, but Gulley challenges this misconception:
“People say, ‘Oh, this is going to be depressing, hearing these stories of people who have lost their hands,’ but it’s the complete opposite. Then, at the end of the event, people feel so good about what they’ve done—they’re not taking pity on the people who need these hands. They have a sort of connection with them.”
This perspective shift is one of the most valuable outcomes. “It gives them a different perspective on their own lives, makes them far more grateful for what they have—they realize, ‘The life I have, compared to others, is actually really good,’” Gulley notes.
Ready to Build Bonds and Give Back?
Charitable events can bring people together in fun and educational ways, build camaraderie, and strengthen team dynamics.
They offer an opportunity for employees to interact outside of the usual work environment while demonstrating your organization’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and are a valuable investment for any organization seeking success.
Planning and organizing a team building event may seem challenging, but TeamBonding is here to help. Our staff can assist you in picking an event that aligns with your company’s values or team’s goals.
From there, we’ll handle the logistics and manage the event from beginning to end so you and your team can focus on giving back and making memories.
Ready to get started? Contact us today to begin customizing the perfect event for your goals, budget, time frame, team size, and preferred causes.
